The chief doctor of an emergency substation was suspended for "shirking his duty" and four other staff fired after a homeless man died in the street in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, according to a report in Xi'an Daily on Wednesday.

Dr. Han Shabin, 50, who was working at Xi'an No.1 Hospital, had diagnosed the man as having hypoglycemia an hour before he died without receiving treatment.

Han and his team had been called to Xincheng Plaza on May 17 after an emergency call at 10:45 AM reported that a man had fallen in the street.

They found him dressed in rags, still conscious and able to answer Han's questions. Han gave his diagnosis, then he and his team returned to the hospital.

At 11:50 AM, the center received another emergency call, saying the man was thought to be dead. The hospital sent the same group to the site, who confirmed that his heart had breathing had stopped.

An official at the bureau said Han had suggested taking the man to a nearby hospital but the patient refused for fear of having to pay for treatment.

The doctor has been described by his colleagues as experienced and professional in giving emergency treatment, and they have backed him in his diagnosis and claimed the patient must have suffered a heart attack, although there has been no post mortem.

Wang Gaizheng, deputy director of the Municipal Health Bureau, has been quoted by local media as saying the neglect of homeless people in emergency treatment is because they are often unable to pay for their treatment and are seen as a financial burden by hospitals.

A joint investigation by the provincial and city public health administrative departments found that medical workers "neglected their responsibilities; they didn't make any serious and careful check-up on the patient; and they didn't treat the patient according to standard medical procedures; consequently, they missed the opportunity to save him."

The Xi'an Health Bureau suspended Dr. Han's license for a year and sacked a nurse, driver and two other staff members. It also fined the emergency substation 10,000 yuan (US$1,200) and ordered it to stop business while addressing systemic problems.

The city's public health bureau has since demanded that hospitals and medical institutions put an end to the phenomenon of refusing to accept patients who are unable to pay for treatment.

(China Daily, Xi'an Daily May 27, 2005)